Development: On 1 November, federal judge Sérgio Moro announced that he had accepted Brazil’s President-elect Jair Bolsonaro’s invitation to be his justice minister.
Significance: Moro’s decision to accept the position has had a mixed reception. As the judge who has presided over the ‘Operation Car Wash’ corruption probe and who condemned former president Lula da Silva (2003-2011), as well as other prominent politicians and businessmen, to prison, Moro is something of an icon for many Brazilians in the fight against corruption. However, he has also been accused of unfairly targeting Lula and the left-wing Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT), and his move into politics is seen by his detractors as proof that he was never neutral.
- Moro, who Bolsonaro says will have total autonomy, will take over as head of a new justice ‘superministry’ in the incoming government, merging the current ministries of justice and public security (the latter having been recently created under incumbent President Michel Temer).
- In a note released after a meeting with Bolsonaro yesterday, Moro said that he leaves the judiciary after 22 years with some regret, but that he was convinced to accept the position of justice minister by the prospect of implementing an agenda strong on fighting corruption and organised crime.
- Moro’s departure from the judiciary has left some people wondering about the future of the Car Wash investigation with which he has become almost synonymous. Moro assured that the investigation will push on unperturbed under the leadership of local judges in Curitiba, Paraná state. Federal judge Gabriela Hardt, who has been acting since 2014 as Moro’s substitute during his absences, will temporarily replace Moro until a new judge is appointed to the case.
- Moro’s appointment was well-received in many quarters, as a competent as well as symbolic choice. However, the PT has been quick to denounce it as proving Moro’s political bias, with PT party president Gleisi Hoffman calling it the “fraud of the century”. The PT notes that Moro’s sentencing of Lula in the first instance, as well as other actions such as the release of parts of former PT inner-circle member Antonio Palocci’s plea bargain deal a few days ahead of the first round of this year's presidential election, clearly helped Bolsonaro get elected.
Looking Ahead: Moro was due to question Lula on 14 November in relation to the possibly-fraudulent nature of renovation work at a property Lula supposedly owns in Atibaia, São Paulo state, but this will now be led by Hardt. Separately, sources from within Lula’s defence have said that they are preparing a habeas corpus petition based on the fact that Moro’s appointment proves his political bias against the former president.
